LNP - Passport Office to operate 24 hours a day to issue 4,000 passports daily

The Cabinet of Ministers has greenlighted the supplying of additional staff required for accelerating the printing of passports. Speaking during today’s (05) Cabinet press conference, the Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa stated that as per the recommendations of the experts’ committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers to submit recommendations on the actions to be taken for circumventing the shortage of passports, the procurement process has already been started to supply 1,100,000 empty passports with “P” category chip from the supplier.  Accordingly, a programme has been planned to issue 4,000 passports per day by facilitating the operations of the Department of Emigration and Immigration throughout the 24 hours to eliminate the delay of issuing passports which prevails at present, the Minister noted. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal furnished by the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs to supply the additional staff required for the purpose by engaging the officers served in that Department and got retired on contract basis with the concurrence of the Public Service Commission in addition to attaching the officers currently in government service with the consent of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Governments.